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'The Undertow' is Kerri's book pick

After recently reading Jo Baker's "Longbourn," Kerri checked out one of Bakers' previous works, "The Undertow." It's a multi-generational tale of a British family experiencing the twentieth century wars.

It demonstrates a real mastery of language, from the way the book's phrases subtly become more up-to-date as time passes, to the stream-of-consciousness she effortlessly slips into as the characters experience moments of great emotion or excitement. Lovely details dot the pages: the "custardy bulge" of the white line down the middle of the street; the way young Madeline so deliciously pronounces the word "pop" -- "so careful, strange, like she's puzzled to find a marble dropping from her lips." And watching the characters transform from callow youth to fading-away elders is moving but never sentimental.

Euan Kerr's book pick is "Encyclopedia of Trouble and Spaciousness" by Rebecca Solnit.